This week, one of our community members emailed me saying, “I wish I believed in myself as much as you all do!!!” While I am so glad she feels supported by us, which she is, it prompted me to think about the whole idea of “belief in oneself.” Is “self-belief” really a source of comfort and confidence? In this post, I’ll share why it never has been for me and what I’ve found to be even more helpful and re-assuring.

As far as self-belief, I must say I’ve never had much belief in myself. When I witness the doubts, anxieties, and ups and downs of how my small, little, “local self” thinks and feels, this doesn’t give me much assurance that “I can do it.”

Fortunately, I’ve found that deeper guidance is available.

Underneath the pressures and fears that my personality experiences, there is “something more.” When I allow my mind to quiet down, my emotions to calm, and my body to relax, I discover an inner guidance that is always there. As I’ve felt, listened to, and followed this guidance, I’ve received just the inspiration I’ve needed when I’ve needed it. I’ve learned just what I needed to know as I needed to know it. I’ve been given just the right resources at just the right time—again and again.

I’ve found that this process has little to do with “me” or with believing in myself. If anything, it has to do with letting go of “me,” what I want, and how I think things “should happen.” As I let go of what I call “me” and “mine” I am shown again and again that Life has a Bigger Plan. And it’s this Bigger Plan that I can trust.

It appears to me that Life is infinitely intelligent and full of grace. Each of us is here on purpose, exactly as we are, to do what we are here to do. I’ve discovered that I can trust that. And, as I learn to trust that deeper guidance more and more, Life shows me that trust is warranted. I am grateful that I don’t need to believe in myself, because there’s something greater, One Life, supporting and guiding us all.

Enjoy your practice,

Kevin

Kevin Schoeninger

P.S. This week on Spiritual Growth Monthly, we’re practicing a powerful “Mindfulness Meditation” to help us let go of doubt, fear, and discomfort and discover a deeper peace underneath it all. Click here to learn more.

A common mistake many of us make is to overestimate risk and underestimate our personal resources. This can easily lead to excessive worry and anxiety. In this post, we’ll explore how this happens and what we can do about it.

If you read or watch the news, take in mainstream entertainment, and listen to the pundit personalities professing their exaggerated opinions, you’d think the world was about to explode any minute. Combine that with the apocalyptic tone of 2012 prognostications and you’ve got a recipe for mental-emotional instability.

And that doesn’t include all the headlines with the words “murder, war, rape, robbery, fire, and disaster.”

If you lived your life according to the headlines, you’d be in a constant state of panic, anxiety, doubt, and confusion. You’d think that the whole world has gone insane.

Yes, it’s true that we are witnessing many intense dramas on the global stage. Yet, it’s also true that we overestimate the risks and underestimate our abilities to cope with what’s happening. There are a great many positive things happening in the world today that get little coverage. Yes, we need to take action to make our world a safer, more cooperative place to live and thrive, but we’ll do that best from a place of honest appraisal of the situation and an empowered view of what each of us brings to the table.

Here are a few suggestions for how to make the shift to a more empowered and cooperative world:

1. Detach from overdramatizing and sensationalizing. Don’t buy in. Turn off the media when it does that. Don’t expose yourself to images that perpetuate violence, fear, and despair. Don’t believe the sound-bites. When you hear something that sounds preposterous, it probably is. If it is true, detach from making it bigger than it is.
2. Honestly appraise the facts. Attempt to see “what is” underneath all the shouting. Yes, “facts” can be hard to come by, but they can be sifted out when you have the intention to get to the bottom of a situation that concerns you. When you talk with someone else, take time to listen to their point of view first, then clearly define yours, and cooperate to find a common ground of agreement.
3. Put your energy and attention into solutions. It’s easy to blame, complain, argue, and fight. If you see something that you’d like to see changed for the better, engage in doing that. Join with others who have similar interests and find out what can really make a difference.

4. Don’t underestimate your powers or the power of joint effort. Notice what can happen when people come together during “disasters.” It often ends up being a time when human beings shine. We actualize our highest potential when we are called to rise to the occasion. These times are calling us to do just that.

The coming year will present us with many opportunities to be at our best. No matter what seems to be happening on the outside, I believe that “consciousness rules.” What we do on the inside will create a better world on the outside. So keep the faith and do your best. We’re all in this together—and together we can create an empowered cooperative world.